He leaned his forehead on the stone wall and tried to slow his breathing further. If only they weren’t in this infernal castle, stuck in the middle of a hopeless siege, he would have told her he loved her. If only … But he would find a way to be with her. He must.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Merrick Court, 28th June 2016
Josh was whistling to himself as he followed Bryn, carrying a rake. He was starting to love helping the old guy and didn’t mind the hard work, especially since it meant he got to see more of Tess who was usually outdoors too or in her workshop.
They’d gone out for drinks again at the weekend, just a quick one in another country pub, but he felt they were getting to know each other pretty well. She’d relaxed around him since her confession about the weird dreams, but they hadn’t discussed it further. Josh wasn’t ready to tell her about his own psychic experiences yet, so thought it best to leave the subject alone for now.
He wondered whose spirit had invaded Tess’s brain. A woman, she’d said, but who? He’d have to ask.
‘Can you tidy this a bit, please?’ Bryn stopped on the gravel drive that covered a large area in front of the main entrance to the house. ‘I sprayed it with weed killer the other day so it just needs raking.’
‘Sure.’
‘Thank you. I’d better get back to young Louis.’
‘How’s he getting on?’ Josh hadn’t seen much of the boy, who spent most of his time with Bryn.
‘Very well. He’ll make a fine gardener, learns fast.’ Bryn smiled. ‘And he’s a joy to have around. Great for me to have the company.’
As the old man walked off, Josh reflected that it must have been lonely for him here with no other staff, but he’d stayed on, loyal to the family. To Tess. Josh would make sure he was rewarded for that and that he had more help in future.
Raking the drive was an easy task that left his thoughts free to roam and they kept coming back to her – to Tess. She was really something and he was afraid he was seriously falling for her. Was that a bad thing? He hadn’t decided yet, but his body was telling him not to think so much and just go with the flow.
He looked up towards the façade of the house and his gaze was drawn to the Norman tower and the window. Would Sir Rhys be there? Sure enough, the shadowy figure was back, gazing down at him. No courtly bow today, barely any movement at all, but Josh could feel the spirit’s need, even at that distance. There was more to his story, much more, and he wanted to tell someone.
Josh knew he could walk away, refuse to listen, but then he’d never find out what was so important that this spirit had hung around here for hundreds of years. Perhaps he was the first psychic person to come into the shadow’s orbit? The only one who had the ability to hear. With a sigh, Josh sat down on the steps leading up to the fancy front door and prepared himself.
Raglan Castle, 28th June 1646
The sense of relief Rhys felt on walking into the chapel at Raglan and seeing Arabella was so great he had to steady himself against the wall. He’d faced death many times on the battlefield, but it had never terrified him as much as the thought of what might be happening to her in his absence. Thank the Lord she was still safe.
‘Stable after supper,’ he breathed as he passed her on the way out and she gave him a tiny nod. He could hardly contain himself until the appointed hour arrived.
‘You’re back!’ Arabella looked equally relieved as she came down the steps. ‘What happened? Did you manage to bring supplies? We’ve been on short rations for days now.’
Everyone was losing weight, especially the poor horses. Rhys couldn’t bear to look at them. He took Arabella’s hand and pulled her into the smallest stable, as before. A solitary horse was there this time, but once he’d established that they hadn’t brought him any food, he went back to dozing in the late afternoon heat.
‘Yes, we brought nearly three hundred bushels of corn and malt. The bailiff of Llantilio had gathered it for us, mostly from the town and manor of Monmouth who are still loyal to the marquis, and he helped bring it here. He’s been pretending to help the enemy soldiers too, delivering some grain to them, so they weren’t suspicious of him.’
‘Oh, good, but …’ She hesitated. ‘It would have been safer for you to stay outside.’
He let go of her hand and pulled her close for a blazing kiss. ‘Did you really think I’d leave you in here? That would have been like leaving my soul behind.’ He smiled at her and she smiled back, blushing. She was obviously too shy still to tell him how she felt, but he could see the emotion in her eyes.
‘How did you sneak the provisions past the enemy soldiers?’
He shook his head. ‘That would be telling and it’s best you don’t know in case we have to do it again.’ He kissed her once more. ‘Now, I can’t stay long as I’m on duty soon, but I just wanted to hold you for a moment. Have you missed me?’ He was teasing, certain that she wouldn’t have been kissing him back with such fervour if she hadn’t.
‘You know I have.’
It had been three, interminable days while Arabella went about her duties in a state of apprehension so great she’d barely noticed the horrific sounds all around her – ordnance being fired at regular intervals, musket shots, the crashes when bits of the castle walls fell and the screams of those hurt by the splinters of stone that had shattered. She’d just tended to the wounded, served Lady Margaret and existed. Without Rhys, that was all life was – an existence without meaning.
But he had returned, thanks be to God.
She allowed him to kiss her for as long as he wished. As before though, he didn’t go too far and she was both sorry and pleased. Sorry because her body was crying out for his, but pleased that he had such care for her.
‘I have to go. There’s been another summons from Colonel Morgan and he said General Fairfax himself is on his way here.’
‘Oh, no!’ That sounded ominous to Arabella. The general was said to be a great soldier and leader of men.
‘Yes, and if we want to stand any chance at all of defeating the besiegers, it has to be done before he arrives. I’ve no doubt he’ll bring reinforcements.’ Rhys pushed his fingers through his thick hair, flicking it away from his face impatiently.
‘I take it the marquis is still refusing to surrender?’ Arabella was sure nothing would change the old man’s mind, but had to ask.
Rhys sighed. ‘Yes. There’s been correspondence between him and the colonel, I understand, and the enemy are claiming the king has sent an order for us to give up and disband, but his lordship doesn’t believe it because it wasn’t addressed to him, only to some of the other garrison commanders. I hear he said that after all he’d done for the king, His Majesty would have mentioned Raglan specifically if the message was genuine, but since he didn’t … Besides, as he says, he wouldn’t just be giving up a garrison – this is his home. Why should he leave?’
‘Is there no way of ascertaining if the king’s order is authentic?’ Arabella almost hoped it was. At least then they could all leave this place alive, their honour intact. And Rhys wouldn’t have to do any more fighting. She suppressed a shudder at the thought of him sallying forth again later that day.
‘The colonel apparently suggested that someone from Raglan should go to Oxford together with one of his men to find out for themselves, but I don’t think the marquis would agree to that.’ He sighed again. ‘I really must go now, cariad, but we’ll meet again whenever we can,’ he promised.
All too soon he was gone, but at least they were both in the castle again. That was enough for now.
Merrick Court, 3rd July 2016
Tess loved her bedroom in the Norman tower, where she’d taken to sleeping the night after Giles’s accident. She hadn’t been able to face going back to the room she’d shared with him. The tower one was prettier anyway, with primrose yellow walls and a spectacular French rococo bed painted antique silver. There were windows on two sides of the room – both with deep sills as the walls were so thick �
�� and a high ceiling with old roof beams painted white, making it a bright and airy space.
Coming into the room late in the afternoon, she glimpsed movement over by one of the windows and saw a shadowy figure leaning on the wall next to it as though looking out over the garden. She stopped on the threshold, putting a hand up to cover her mouth to stop the gasp from escaping. Jesus! A proper ghost this time? It had to be, because she could see the walls through his arms.
The figure was wearing a long waistcoat, loose trousers and huge boots with the tops turned down. And a plumed hat set on top of long, wavy hair. She drew in a sharp breath and whispered, ‘Rhys!’ The shadowy person turned towards her with a sad smile, then vanished.
Tess’s legs gave way and she sat down where she was, in the door opening, and leaned against the frame. ‘Ohmigod!’ she muttered, blinking to make sure there wasn’t something wrong with her eyesight. But she knew in her heart it had been him – Rhys, the man from Raglan Castle and also from the painting.
She and Louis hadn’t been able to find out anything more about him or the woman. There didn’t seem to be any records from the Civil War period and after – at least not from the parishes in this area; they’d been lost. So they were no further forward, and she’d been avoiding water and any old items around the house in order to escape being sucked into a vision. She didn’t want to find out that way, it was too scary.
But now he’d come to see her here. Why?
His smile had been sad, which might indicate something horrible had happened to him and he wanted someone to know. To care. Perhaps to tell the world? Wasn’t that what ghosts were supposed to be doing – drawing attention to past misdeeds? Tess had read stories where murdered people haunted someone because they wanted their killers caught and punished. Obviously this couldn’t be the case here, but if Rhys had been killed, maybe he wanted the name of his murderer to be known to posterity?
She had to find out more. But how?
Maybe she needed to go back to Raglan Castle. That’s where he’d first appeared after all. Had he been about to tell her something that day she’d met him down by the moat? But she wasn’t sure she wanted to encounter him again for real, although if he was going to start haunting her at Merrick Court, it wasn’t as though she had a choice in the matter.
No, she’d go to Raglan, but not on her own this time. She’d bring Josh if he agreed to come. If the man she’d met showed himself again, Josh could scare him away, and if he didn’t … well, then at least she wouldn’t be alone.
And maybe she’d wear the earring, just to see if it worked its magic somewhere other than at Merrick Court.
Raglan Castle, 4th July 2016
Josh had always loved the idea of castles, ever since his mother read him fairy tales as a kid. His grandfather had added to the allure by telling him stories about knights of old, quests and treasure hunts – all fuel for a boy’s imagination. He’d been to quite a few during his world travels, but not one round here, so when Tess suggested a visit to Raglan, he was happy to agree. Especially if it meant he’d get to spend a whole afternoon with just her.
‘Wow, this is pretty huge, huh?’ He followed Tess towards the castle’s main gate, while staring up at the enormous towers either side. They must have seemed intimidating to anyone not invited.
‘Yes, but I’m sure it was much more magnificent in its heyday. Such a shame it’s just a shell now. Come on, let’s go inside.’
They entered the first courtyard – Tess told him there were two – and the muted sounds of traffic from the nearby main road faded into the background as the peace of the castle settled around them. Josh immediately felt an affinity with the place, some sort of visceral connection which took him by surprise, especially since he’d never been here. But then he remembered that he sort of had now – through Sir Rhys and the visions. And even before that, he’d felt drawn towards the castle on the morning when he’d driven to see Merrick Court for the first time.
Yes. Recognition, familiarity, belonging. Weird.
He found himself looking around for any details that might seem familiar. There was the kitchen over in the corner, the offices to the right. On the cobbles of the courtyard the men had drilled, polished their weapons, filled their little wooden gunpowder pouches to hang from a leather bandolier and … whoa! How did he know that? He frowned. Maybe Grandad had told him?
But it was more likely Sir Rhys, messing with his mind again.
Josh shook his head. Were there other shadowy souls hanging around here too? He searched every corner but couldn’t see anyone, which in itself was unusual. An old site like this where there had been warfare should have had dozens of departed spirits haunting it, if not heaps more.
He decided to ignore the strange memories and just followed Tess, concentrating on the lovely sight of her instead. She filled out a pair of jeans very nicely, and her strappy top gave tantalising glimpses of a pretty, lacy bra underneath in a colour-coordinated shade of lilac. He’d love to peel that off her and … but she probably wasn’t ready for that kind of thing yet. He’d kissed her goodnight again several times after going for drinks at various local pubs, but although she’d kissed him back, she hadn’t given any indication that she wanted to take things further.
He’d have to be patient.
He saw something glinting on her earlobe and stopped next to her. ‘Is that the earring you were telling me about? You’re wearing it?’
‘Yes, sorry, I brought it to show you, but then I got caught up in all this.’ She swept a hand round to indicate the castle. ‘I’ll take it off later.’
‘Okay, I’d love to have a closer look. It’s beautiful in the sunlight.’ The aquamarine-coloured stone reflected the sunshine, throwing out prisms of light. Josh felt as though it was calling out to him and itched to hold it in his hand, but he turned away. It could wait.
He dragged his gaze off Tess and back to his surroundings again. Wandering in companionable silence, gazing up at what was left of once magnificent walls, windows and fireplaces, Josh was mostly struck by the sadness of it all. ‘What a waste,’ he muttered.
She nodded. ‘Yes, I know what you mean.’
‘So what happened to it? A siege during the Civil War, did you say? Looks like whoever lived here lost big time.’ Josh could almost hear the mighty boom of the cannon that would have made the walls come tumbling down.
‘Not exactly. I read that the castle was still standing at the end of the war, but Cromwell’s troops decided to destroy it so that no one else could use it against them. I guess in case of further uprisings? Wonder what the Royalists thought when they came back after the Restoration?’ Tess trailed her fingers along smooth stone. ‘If it had been me, I’d have cried.’
‘The Restoration? That was, what, ten years later?’ Josh tried to remember the few bits of English history he’d studied.
‘More like fifteen.’
‘I’m sure by then they’d got used to the idea.’ Josh shrugged. ‘And maybe the new king gave them other, better estates?’
‘Yes, I think he did. Still …’
They’d reached the Pantry and Buttery, according to the signs. ‘Let’s go down these stairs. It says that they lead to the wine cellar.’ Josh set off and Tess followed him.
It was dark and cold, despite a window set into a wall that had to be almost two metres thick. He saw Tess shiver and something about that windowsill struck a chord in his memory. That bastard Howell. An almost primeval anger surged through Josh as he remembered the near-rape incident Rhys had shown him. This was the place where it had happened, he was sure.
‘I don’t like it down here,’ Tess murmured.
Josh took her hand, his protective instincts going into overdrive. ‘It’s just a bit gloomy.’ He didn’t want to admit the shadows were affecting him too. He pulled her along into a roofless room. ‘Look, this would be perfect for storing wine or beer. It would be chilled to perfection. I could do with one right now, actually.’ He smiled at her
and felt some of the tension leave her. Even so, she hurried him up the stairs on the way back and seemed relieved when they emerged into the sunshine again.
Josh was glad to get out of there too. Something dark and twisted had pushed for a foothold in his mind, but he refused to let it in. Whatever – or whoever – it was, could stay in that dark stairwell. And he wouldn’t let anyone harm Tess, no matter what.
Tess breathed a sigh of relief. That underground space had given her the creeps and she was very glad she had Josh with her. He was reassuringly solid and she felt better when staying close to him. The castle was definitely affecting her and she could feel the pull of the past like a nagging headache at the edges of her mind. But should she let it in?
They walked through the former Great Hall and marvelled at the gigantic fireplace.
‘This is really weird.’ Josh went inside it, looking up. ‘See? It’s divided into two flues so they could have a window above it, in the middle. Why on earth would you design it that way? Doesn’t make sense.’
‘Maybe it was a stronger construction this way?’ She joined him inside the fireplace, which was big enough to allow at least fifteen people to stand in it. ‘Gosh, it wouldn’t be difficult to have an actual Yule log in here!’
The enormous oriel window next to the fireplace had no glass in it, but was otherwise intact. Tess could barely see out of it though, as the bottom of it started at about chin height. ‘I wish I could have seen this glazed,’ she murmured, although she could actually picture it quite vividly in her mind. She sat down on a bench while Josh wandered round.
Birds flitted about high above them, tweeting, chirping and cooing. They seemed at home, the jagged tops of the towers perfect for their nests. There were a few tourists wandering around as well. Most of them looked solemn, awed by what had been lost here, and everyone seemed to be speaking quietly as if they didn’t want to disturb the former inhabitants of the place. The very air felt heavy, like a forlorn blanket draped over the castle. Tess let her thoughts roam …
The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight Page 24